The previously blank canvas now held a depiction of a young woman clad in a tattered, worn-out cloak. Despite her ragged exterior, she appeared as beautiful as a wild and tempestuous wolf treading on freshly fallen snow. Strands of gray hair fell from beneath the hood of her cloak, seemingly dancing in a gentle breeze. Her golden eyes, half-closed, appeared icy at first glance, but a closer look revealed a raging, molten fire within.
Normally, a lone woman like her would look exceedingly vulnerable, but she did not give off even a hint of fragility. Instead, her bedraggled appearance only made it more obvious that she had a type of nobility and arrogance within her bones that could never be fully hidden.
Lance smiled as he applied the final stroke. "It is done."
Only now did he actually take the time to shift back and take a discerning look at the portrait. Belatedly, he realized that he might have poured a little too much effort into it.
A gasp of astonishment rang out. "Heavens, Young Master, since when did you have such artistic talent? For a moment there, I actually found myself wondering if the God of Art had possessed you. This is the first time I have ever seen a painting this beautiful!"
The maid could barely contain her excitement. She had seen Lance paint before... years before. Back then, he always had a gentle smile on his face and never lost his temper. The landscapes he painted then were as beautiful as his inner heart.
In fact, many of the servants in the manor had quietly hoped that, one day, Lance would come back to his senses. After all, they didn’t want to imagine how wretched their lives would be if the young master continued down his path of depravity and later became the master of the household. Of course, there was also the risk that he might just cast them all out.
Thus, the maid was hoping beyond hope that the various hints of the past Lance returning were not merely figments of her imagination today. She truly wished that the young master had reverted to being gentle, refined, and understanding.
Lance smiled a bit sheepishly. "Is that so?"
He considered himself a reasonably talented artist, but the maid was gazing at him with a fervent kind of admiration. It was as if she saw him as the second coming of Leonardo da Vinci or Raphael. Although he had fallen into a bit of a trance earlier and actually felt a little dizzy after completing his portrait, he was doubtful that his art was worthy of this level of praise.
The maid clasped her hands together as she announced earnestly, "I can guarantee that you are destined to become a famous painter who will take the entire kingdom by storm. Even the king will hanker over your art, and card makers will surely flock over to discuss the intricacies of their craft with you."
A brief moment of silence fell before it was broken by a quiet hiss. Lance had suddenly remembered something important. At its core, this world was actually a game. Specifically, it was a real-time magic card game.
As a lead artist, he had drawn a great many things relating to the game portion, specifically the prototypes for very rare and treasured enchanted cards.
These enchanted cards encapsulated skills, equipment, or summoned entities. Instead of spending years of effort to learn a spell, the people of this world bought or traded cards to get their desired skills. Once they were soulbound to the user, it was easy to use them at any time. These cards were very easy to transport and trade, leading to countless combinations and strategies.
In addition, this world had special instances where challengers were matched and sent into random alternate dimensions, assuming unique identities to deal with various situations. Other than the enchanted cards that were soulbound to them, these challengers were unable to bring any external objects to help them.
Consequently, enchanted cards were absolutely essential to the people of this world. They used them for everything, from mundane daily activities to traveling, dueling, and committing crimes!
Cards could be obtained from special dungeons. In addition, skilled card makers could also make enchanted cards. Their talent in drawing or painting was inexplicably linked to the ability of a card maker.
Looks like I also have the potential to be a card maker here. Lance put his chin in one hand as he contemplated his future here.
In the past, he thought the previous cards developed for the game were too lackluster and had tried to suggest new cards to the game designers in an attempt to enrich the gameplay experience. Invariably, his ideas were shot down. The designers had claimed that they couldn’t possibly implement his ideas, implying that they would impact gameplay too much.
"Young Master, is the lady in the portrait someone you admire greatly?" asked the maid tentatively.
She would have never dared to ask such a presumptuous question before, but after observing him for almost a full day, she was pretty sure that Lance’s unusually gentle demeanor was not just an act. He had also miraculously completed an incredibly stunning portrait today. After thinking it through, the maid had come to a startling conclusion: the young master might have fallen in love!
Lance looked up at the maid with a peculiar expression on his face. He really had no idea how to answer that question.
The lady in the portrait... is someone who might very well kill me.
After scrutinizing the painting carefully, he came to a conclusion. Judging by the maid’s reaction to the portrait, he had a hunch that sending the butler out with it would likely cause a considerable amount of unnecessary trouble.
He pushed the easel aside and prepared a fresh canvas with practiced ease. He was going to paint a second, less dazzling portrait of Talia the Vagrant.
However, just as he painted a few strokes on the blank canvas, a sudden, intense wave of dizziness washed over him. He was barely able to see what was before his eyes.
The maid watched Lance’s deteriorating state with growing concern, yet she warred with her instincts to stop him. Finally, she decided that the young master would likely not lash out at her for overstepping her bounds.
She swallowed nervously and interjected, "Young Master, if you’re not feeling well, you might have exhausted your mana during your previous painting session. I think you pour your essence into whatever you paint. At least, I’ve heard stories that famous artists or card makers do something similar whenever they create their beautiful works..."
Upon hearing that and feeling his body’s condition, Lance set down the brush. His unusual fatigue wasn’t the normal result of long work hours. In fact, he had distinctly felt something draining away from him when he was painting.
"I’m done for today. Please take that portrait to the butler for me. He needs to memorize the person in the painting, carry out my previous orders, and then store the portrait in a safe and private place. It absolutely cannot leave the manor."
An overwhelming wave of exhaustion hit him immediately after he relaxed. It hit him so hard, in fact, that his head began to nod as he fought to keep his eyes open.
There was absolutely no way he could paint a second portrait of Talia that the butler could use, not with the amount of energy that drained from him when he painted.
"Please make sure to wake me up in time for dinner," Lance instructed. He then fell silent, fast asleep while slumped over in his chair.
"Of course, of course!"
The maid carefully set out a magical device that accelerated the drying process and would also seal the painting afterward.
She instinctively knew that this painting was a priceless piece of art. Although she was overjoyed by Lance’s transformation today, she couldn’t help but be a little curious about the true caliber of his work. Therefore, she secretly cast an appraisal spell, revealing the hidden details of the portrait.
[Portrait of a Mysterious Princess]
Type: Artwork
Grade: Epic
Tier: 1
Anyone who gazes upon this painting will recover a small amount of Spirit and Stamina. In addition, their Affection toward the princess depicted within the portrait will increase, with a chance of gaining a minuscule boost to their Spirit attribute.
***
The next time Lance opened his eyes, he found himself looking out a familiar window that showed it was already late afternoon. The setting sun was gradually sinking in the west, and golden light, tinged with red, illuminated the clouds. The rays streaming in through the window shimmered, lending a touch of illusory color to the room.
The butler had likely carried him back to his room. Next to his bed was a letter, penned in the butler’s hand, containing information regarding Talia’s whereabouts.
Lance sat up and stretched while shaking his head. His nap had been unusually heavy, leaving him quite groggy. He then noticed that a framed painting had appeared in a prominent spot in his room. It added a distinct air of artistic sophistication.
He frowned as he sat in bed, staring at the portrait of Talia. The maid and butler had probably misinterpreted his instructions. He didn’t actually want them to frame and hang the painting in his room. He had wanted them to hide it!
After all, wouldn’t it be beyond awkward if the subject of the painting found out one day that he had painted her so earnestly?
"Oh, whatever." Lance sighed and got out of bed.
Talia was never going to set foot in this room. He would consider his goal met as long as he managed to sweet-talk her into leaving the kingdom.